Knitted fabric



March 9, 1943. LAWSON 2,313,446

KNITTED FABRIC 1 Filed Oct. 21, 1955 2 Shee tS -Sheet 1 m 7 INT/5117012.

fiflBEETHZAI/VJWM V V ATTy Patented 9, 1943 UNITED STATE FABRIC v Robert H. Lawson, Pawtucket, R. I. ,assignorto Hemphill Company, Central-Falls, It. 1., a corporation of Massachusetts.

Application october 21, 1935, Serial No. 45,937 '1 Claims. .(Cl. 66-172) This invention relates. to knitted fabrics and especially hosiery in which an elastic thread, as covered or uncovered rubber. is knitted in oncasional courses and'wales. The elastic thread may be incorporated; in a manner hereinafter to be described, throughout the fabric or in a portion only thereof as in the so-called garter top" in a stocking or halfhose.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic representation of a stocking knitted in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the outer face of the fabric showing a few wales and courses of the top of the fabric shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 15 a view similar to Fig. Z'but showing a modification;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view representing the incorporating of the elastic thread in occasional wales and courses as shown in Fig. 2; v

Fig. 5 is a view similar 'toFig. 4 but showing how the tendency of the elastic thread to return to its unstretched condition distorts the courses; and 4 Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 4 7

but showing a modification.

In Fig. 1 the stocking or half hose is generally represented by the numeral l and isprovided with a welt and other top portion 2'in some 'of the courses of which an elastic thread is incorporated to provide a garter section 3. Y

. The stocking is indicated as being of'the socalled split-foot type although it' is immaterial to what type of stocking or other type of fabrics the invention is applied.

In Fig. 2 the salvage course 4 is in cated as being knitted with a thread-5 which ay besof diate needles retain the two 'bights or stitches of the yarn 5 drawn during knitting of the courses I2 and l3, 1. e., 'the said needles do not cast off the said stitches. As a consequence'of the failure of the intermediate needles to knit during the knittingof the-courses l4 and l'5,jfloats ofthe yarn 5 extend across the wales knitted by the said intermediate needles as indicated at 2|, i. e., they extend across the loops that are cast off by the said intermediate needles during the knitting of the course 22 when thealternate and intermediate needles all knit the thread 5.

1 In Fig. 2, the loops 2:, 24, 2s, 2s and 21, knitted I by the intermediate needles,'are shown as being, elongated and extending across several courses;

however, actually in the knitted fabric, the tuck or draw stitches'232l are not so long; relatively, as shown in Fig. 2, the consequent shortening of the loops causing the fabric to be distorted somewhat and resulting in a scalloped or picot edge such as is indicated in Fig. '1.

'As hereinbefore stated in the courses-so far mentioned a single thread 5 is knitted; however, more than one thread may be knittedinto the fabric top if desired. I

During the'knitting of the course 22 a cov or uncovered rubber or other elastic thread 28 is knitted at occasional wales such-as the wales cotton, silk, or any'other suitable material. It i is desirable that the top be provided-with a picot.

edge indicated at i, Fig. 1. To effect the knitting of a picot edge desirablithe yarn or thread 5 is first engaged in the hooks of alternate needles only said needles beingindicated at I, 8, 9, l0 and II, etc. During the knitting of the next course and the'following courses l3, l4 and IS the needles 1-! I, inclusive, knit in the usual manner. The intermediate needles, as I6, l1, l8, -l9 and 20, etc., first engage the yarn a in their hooks during the knitting of the course i2 and during the knitting of the course l3 the said intermediate needles again engagethe strand of the yarn 5 in their hooks but do not cast oflthe bights of the said yarn drawn during the knitting of the courses It and I5 while the said intermeof the course [2. Thereafter during the knitting I knitted by the needles 9 and I I, theelastic float ing across the intervening'wales as at 29."Following the knitting of the course 22; the knitting of the fabric shown in Fig. 2 proceeds fromleftto right and from top to bottom of said figure the V elastic thread or strand 28' extending spirally around the fabric from the wale knitted by the needle I l in course 22 to the wale knitted by the needle! in course 30, the said elastic thread be- 'ing knitted at every few wales; being shown asknitted at every fourth wale, I

It will be understood that the fabric, when knitted on a circular knitting machine, consists of a continuedseries of loops extended spirally around the fabric, the reference to-= courses," such as 22 and 30,-being merely for convenie'ric of description as there is no particular wale in thesfabricwhere course 22 could be said to terminate and coursed!) commence; however, when .knitted on a flat, as a full-fashioned knitting machine, the courses such as 22 and 30 are knitted during reciprocating strokes or movements as of a thread guide andas a consequence thereof the adjacent coursesare more or less separate and distinct.

Theelastic; thread 28 'is' shown as extending from'the waleknitted by the needle I at course cred 30 across intervening courses 3|, 3 2 being again knitted in course 33 at' the wale knitted by the wale knitted by the needle 9. The elastic thread 28 then extends across the intervening wales as before being again knitted at wale I I. The cycle of operations just described is continued throughout the knitting of the elastic or garter top or section of a stocking or other fabric.

-Although as shown, the elastic strand 2 8 is knitted at every fourth wale and in every fourth course of the courses in which it is incorporated, the said elastic strand may be knitted at every other wale, every third wale, every fifth wale, etc., and in every other course, every third course, every fifth course, etc. In Fig. 6' is diagrammatically illustrated one of the possible variations just described, i. e., knitting the elastic at;

every other wale as at wales 35, 36, 31, etc. 'The occasional knitting of the elastic strand in wales and courses as just described, may be broadly referred to as knitting the elastic strand at nate wales and in alternate courses.

Whereas in Fig. '2, the strand-281 is shown as extending from the wale knitted by the needle 1 in course 30 to the wale knitted by the needle 9 in course 33, in Fig. 3 the strand 2 8 is shown as extending straight across to and beingknitted inby the needle 9 in course 3t], .the said strand alterr 28 then extending down-walewise until it is again knitted into the fabric at the said wale 9 in course 33. g

V In the form of 'the'fabric shown in Fig. 2, the diagonally extending portions of the strand 28 indicated by the numeral 34 tend to contract, due

' to theincorporating of the strand 28in the fabric under considerable tension, theresultant contraction ofthe strand 28 causing'the course 30 and the course 33 to be drawn together as indicated in Fig. 5, the two courses in the completed fabric consequently, having the appearance of a single'-course. The same effect is also true of the fabric construction shown in Fig. 3. When the fabric is knitted in the manner shown in Fig. 2, it has a uniform appearance and itis-difficult to determine from a careful inspection of the fabric, just where the portions 34 of the strand28 are located in the fabric. However, when the fabric is knitted as shown in Fig. 3, the knitting V of the elasticat a wale in two; successive courses,

the floating of the said elastic strand across the stitches of the said wale during the following two courses and again knitting the strand as before, all results in giving to the fabric the appearance of a seam at the saidwale.

In addition to the foregoing, the .picot edge .when preceded by waste courses which are removed after boarding, provides a non-curling edge which avoids the necessity for finishing by means of an'inturned or outturned welt. This is particularly desirable in a stocking of the type hereinbefore disclosed because of the fact that an elastic strand such as 28 increases the normal tendency of a single top (not welted) salvaged .fabric to curl.

The non-curling. characteristic just described in the preceding paragraph is also effected by the knitting of the elastic in the courses immediately following the knitting of the picot edge although this characteristic .is enhanced by the finishing operation just described.

The non-curling"characteristic of the fabric selvage or top, the making of which has been hereinbefore described, is apparently due to the forming of longitudinal ribs or corrugations caused by the natural contraction of the stretched rubber or other elastic thread, i. e., thread knitted under tension.

Although in the foregoing description, reference has been made to an-inelastic thread and an elastic thread, it will be understood that in multi-feed knitting machines a, plurality of each will be used; and, furthermore, two or more inelastic threads may be knitted throughout the fabric or a" portion thereof in plating or reverse plating relation'with respect to each other.

I In the foregoing description, the fabric constructions have been described in specific terms without the intention of limiting the invention in the precise details disclosed other than as is required by the limitations recited in the claims themselves. f

'I claim:

.1. A knitted fabric the selvage whereof has no rib stitches and is substantially non-curling, the selvage courses forming a picot edge and courses adjacent to the selvage courses having incorporated therein an elastic strand.

2. A knitted fabric the selvage whereof has no rib stitches and is substantially non-curling, the selvage courses forming a picot edge and courses adjacent to the selvage courses having incorporated therein an elastic strand, said elastic strand being knitted in some only of the courses.

3. A knitted fabric the selvage whereof has no rib stitches and is substantially non-curling, the selvage'courses forming a picot edge and courses adjacent to the selvage courses having incorporated therein an elastic strand knitted at occasional wales.

I 4. A knitted fabric theselvage whereof has no rib stitches and is substantially non-curling, the selvage courses forming apicot edge and courses adjacent to the selvage courses having incorporated therein an elastic strand knitted at occasional wales and in occasional courses.

5. A spirally knitted stocking having a knitted selvage, elastic strand material being incorporated in spaced courses adiacent to theselvage andbeing knitted at spacedw ales, thesaid elastic being interknitted at one of the wales only in two adjacent courses.

6. A fabric knitted of a relatively inelastic thread and a relativelyelastic thread, the relatively elastic thread beingknitted into the fabric at spaced wales and furthermore, at one wale only, being knitted in more courses than at other wales so that wale will appear as a mock seam in the fabric. v i

7. A fabric knitted of a relatively inelastic thread and a relatively elastic thread, the relatively elastic thread being knitted into the fabric at spaced wales and in spaced courses and furthermore, at one of said spaced wales only, being knitted in more courses than at other wales so.

that wale will appear as a mock seam in the fabric.

-ROBERT H. LAWSON. 

